Gas-engine starter.



L. BURNHAMa GAS ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. a, 1908.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908 Zz'nco 212720942429 Quezon bana, in the county of Champaign and State.

of Ohio, have invented certain new and useunrrizn STATES P .NT @FFKQE.

LINCOLN BURNHAM, URBANA, OHIO.

GAS-ENGINE STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1908. Serial No. 446,639.

Patented .Nov. 10, 1908.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, LINCOLN BURNHAM, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Urfor whi with thee-rank shaft, and to produce other improvements the details of which will be more fully .pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mechanism, Fig. 2 is aplan view, Fig. 3 is an I enlarged face view of the s ring casing showing a portion of the casing roken away for the purpose of clearness 1n illustration, and, Fig. 4 1s a detail sectional view on line a;;r of Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1' represents the usual crank shaft of a gas or gasolene engine, on which is carried the usualfly wheel 2 and a gear wheel 3L 4 represents a counter shaft which may be sultably j ournaled in the framework of an automobile or otherengine frame and which is parallel with the'shaft 1. Upon the shaft 4 is carried a'ratchet wheel 5 and upon the shaft 1 is mounted loosely and eccentrically one end of a pawl bar 6, the outer end of the latter normall enga ing a tooth of the ratchet wheel 5. ournaid upon the shaft 4 is the central portion of a casin 7 and-within this casing is contained a coils s ring 8, the inner end of said spring being a ed to the shaft 4 and the outer end thereof being affixed to a transverse casing pin 7.

As indicated at 9, the'outer side of the easing about the shaft 4 is provided with a clutch member which is adapted to engage a clutch member 10 which projects from the inner face of a gear wheel 11 which is loosely mounted upon the shaft *4.v This ear wheel is fcal lmgd with a h h ing u 11 wit w ic engages opposin pins carried bythe arms of a bifurcated bel point the end of the bar 25 engages the ed outward y projectcrank lever 12, the outer end of which is provided with suitable means for-swinging said bell crank and thereby moving the gear wheel 11 inward or outward on its shaft.

13 re resents a barwhich has its inner end pivoted asindicated at 14 to one face of the casing 7 at a point between the center and periphery thereof. With the outer side of this bar is connected the lower portion of'a plate or disk segment 15 whiohhas its outer curved end portion projecting beyond the peri hery of the casing 7. In the underside of t is outwardly projecting portion of the I segment 15 and in the underside of the corresponding portion of the bar 13 is formed a recess or notch 16. With the bar 13 between its pivot point and the outer end of the bar is connected or formed the pin 7 the end portions of which extend through opposing curved slotted openings 17 in opposite sides of the casing 7, one of these openings being ndicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

On the inner side of the pivot 14 of the bar 13 the casing is provided with a projecting pin 18 about which is coiled the inner end portion of a spring 19, said spring having an outwardly extendlng portion which engages an opening in the segment 15 over the bar 13 and tends to norma ly hold the latter downward in the position indicated in Fig. 3. Above the segment 15, I secure to one face of the casing7 a radially arranged bar 20, the outer end portion of which projects beyond the periphery of the casing 7 and is provided on its underside notch 21.

Slidably mounted in suitable bearings 22 on a convenient frame piece 23 is a horizontal pin or bolt 24, the inner end of the latterbewith a recess or ing adapted, as shown in the drawing, to engage the notch or recess 16 of the bar and segment 13 and 15. The outer end of the pin or bolt 24 has pivotally connected therewith a horizontal bar 25 which is pivoted intermediate of its ends as shown at 26 to the frame member 23. Beyond its pivot eripheral groove 11 of the hub 11 Be ow the outer end portion of the pawl 6 is rovided a laterally extending pin 27 whic from the casin 7.

In the drawing, I have shown the spring 8 unwound or out of tension, the clutch member 10 out of en agement' with the clutch member 9, the be t or pin 24 in engagement projects 4 with the notch orrecess i6 and the'pawl 6 j =toot .-Iterru ted rotation of the ratchet wheel and ever, that as the pin 7 a, is thus-carried'to the.

turned on its pivot point, the bolt or rod 24 a will eventually move out of engagement with of the'segment. thus reieased, isin turn engaged by the notch rotary movement of the casing'heretofore notchof the bar 20, thereby'permitting the.

,notchesof'the ratchetrwheel 5. I The movm 'tricaii connected pawl bar 6 'will'have im- .parte pivot as to throw the clutch member 10 of bar'25 will I 26, with the result that the pin or bo t 24 in','--engagement' with one of ,the teeth or was, it willbe understood that t e eccenthereto an outward and inward re ciprocatmg' movement which will result in alternat the' awl arm downward to engage a new of said wheel, thereby causingan inthe s aft 4 and a gradual-winding or tightenactiomofthe spring 8 about said shaft. This winding action vof the spring owing to tionof the dotted arrow inFig, 3. This the router ends thereof being retained a ainst downward movement by contact wit the, bolt 01'' pin 24. It will be understood, howopposite ends of .the slots 17 and the bar 13 the recessor notch 16 owingto the inward movement of the outer curved end portion The bolt or pin Z l'being or recess 21 of the bar 20. I In the partial described, it is obvious that the casing pin 27 will eventuall come into contact with the underside of t e fmner end ortion of the awi bar 6, resulting when su cient tension as been imfparted to the s ring, in a disengagement 0 said pawl bar rom the teethof the ratchet wheel 5. The parts'being in this position, it will be'understood that the unwinding' of' the sprin will be prevented by the engagement of t e in or bolt 24 wit the bar '20. The en ine having been stopped and it being desire to impart to the crank shaft the usual preliminary starting movement, the bell crank. 12 is so moved on its 4. he gear wheel 11 into-unlockin engagement .with the clutch member 9 oft e spring casing; In this operation, it is obvious that the be caused to swing on'its' ivot will be drawn out of engagement-with the previously-tensioned spring to act to rotate the shaft 4, gear wheel 11 and the gearlwhlelelal nt 's movement ordinarily necessary' in starting gas .or asolene engmes'is im arted to the parts'ofthe: engme'being in Y mo'tion' and t e crank shaft 1 bein "thus ro- 1y moving the ratchet wheel in the direction of the arrowin Fig. 3 and dropping ing end to the casing,

' combination wit I wheel carried thereb ,.'of a countersha "t, a ratchet wheel carrie thereon, 'a caslng looseing notched of sai notches,

crank s aft. It is'obvi'ous t at a reverse" ceases s n f he an crank 2 an j restoring the parts to the position indi t d in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

From the constructlon and operation de s'cribed,'it will be observed that the' means which 'I employ in carrying-out my invention are simple of construction and operation and positive. in their action.

What I claim, is: 1'. In a gas en e starting mechanism, the

combination wit an engine crank shaft and a gear wheel thereon, of a counter shaft, a ratchet'wheelcarried on the counter shaft, a casing loose on said counter shaft, a coiled spring within the casing having one end connected with said counter shaft and its remain-"-v ing end with the the counter-shaft adapted to mesh with the crankshaft gear wheel, a trically-mounted on the'cran shaft and norcasing, a gear wheel loose on,

awl bar eccenmallyfrojecting within the'path of the teeth I of sa ratchet wheel, and means for engaging and disengaging the spring case and the counter shaft gear wheel.

2.- In a gas" engine starting mechanism, the combinationwith the enginacrank shaft, and a gearwheel thereon, offa counter shaft, a s ring easing loose on spring in the casing one end of which is connected to the counter shaft and the remaincasing and projecting of the latter; said arm having an undersidenotch in its outer ortion, a bar projecting from the casing and also having an underside notch in its projecting portion, a slidable bolt adapted to project wlthin the path of said arm and-bar notchedportions, a gear wheel loose on the counter, shaft and having a clutch ro'ection', a ivoted arm connecting said sli ab e bolt an gear wheel, and means connected with the crank shaft for imparting rotary motion to the counter shaft to wind an arm pivoted to the beyond the periphery said counter shaft havlng a clutch projection, a coiled 3.- In a gas engine starting medhamsm, the

'a crank shaft,:and a car on said counter shaft, and a coiled spring within the casing, said spring having one end connected with the counter shaft andthe re- .maining end with the casing, a clutch projection on the casing, a gearwheel slidable on said counter shaft and meshing with thecrank shaft gear wheel, said counter shaft gearwheel V movement of the counter shaft gear whee limits an opposite sliding movement of said 903,269 -&

slidable belt, a awl bar eceentrically mount- In testimony whereof I affix my signature eddon' the glalran shaftand ha'vin its olllltelr inpresence of two Witnesses. s

en nol -ma y engaging said rate do w ee v and means for automatically releasing saici C BURNHA'M 5 pawLbarfrqin enga glement with said rate-net Witnesses: 1

wheel-when desirab e tension has been 1m- -'L. CARL STOUGHTON,

' partedto the spring. v A. L. PHELPS. 

